Azerbaijan, Baku April 4 / Trend, E. Mehdiyev
Nationalistic programs, implemented by Armenia, isolate it from development programs of the region, and Armenian people should raise this issue, the former Foreign Minister of Turkey Hikmet Cetin said on Thursday at the Conference on NATO's role in South Caucasus in Baku.
"Settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh problem will give numerous opportunities for development of Armenia and the entire region," he noted.
"Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is one of the most severe problems in the region after the Cold War. This issue has long history which began from the period of Soviet Union. Nagorno-Karabakh is integral essential part of Azerbaijan."
Cetin said, this conflict should be resolved under international law.
According to him, Turkey wants to reanimate this process and has been proposing new ideas on the resolution of the conflict.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994.
The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France and the U.S. - are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.
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